 | A major contributor to this article appears to have a close connection with its subject.(January 2024) |
| Founded | Fort Wayne, Indiana (1957) |
|---|---|
| Products | Recreational boats |
| Parent | Brunswick Boat Group |
| Website | www |
Harris Pontoon Boats is a North American luxury pontoon boat brand. It is a subsidiary of the Brunswick Corporation and a division of the Brunswick Boat Group. [1] Harris Boats pontoons are manufactured in Fort Wayne, Indiana at the Brunswick Boat Group Fort Wayne Operations facility. [2]
Brothers Pete and Ernie Harris established their manufacturing business, Harris Manufacturing, in the 1940s and 50's. While looking for a way to expand their business, inspired by an increasing number of individuals building early pontoon boats on 55-gallon barrels and drop tanks from airplanes, the brothers founded Harris FloteBote Marine in 1957. [3] The original Harris FloteBote pontoons were 20-feet in length with steel tubes. Dealers were not receptive to the large boats occupying the extra showroom space, as they were accustomed to typical 16-foot runabouts. In order to gain visibility in the marine industry the Harris brothers would showcase their boats first hand to people around Eastern Indiana and South-eastern Michigan lakes. This tactic successfully built a positive reputation through word-of-mouth. [4] Harris FloteBote revamped the early pontoon boat industry in the 1960s by installing upholstered pontoon seats and furniture on their pontoon boats. [5] Harris Flotebote adopted aluminum tubes around 1968, when welding equipment big enough to accommodate the material became available. In the 1970s Harris Flotebote pontoons were early adopters of sterndrives, and had motor-pods capable of holding engines as powerful as 140 horsepower—which enabled Harris Pontoons to pull water-skiers, an early innovation for pontoon boats. The splash guard added to the front of the pontoons, referred to as a “dolphin-nose cone” were implemented in 1959, this design feature has become standard within the industry. [6] In 2005 Harris-Kayot was purchased by Brunswick Corporation. [7] To meet market demand, Brunswick Fort Wayne Operations, the producer of Harris FloteBote expanded their production facility in June 2013 to a 360,000-square foot manufacturing campus in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Harris FloteBote pontoons will have been produced in the region for over 50 years. [8]
Recipient of the J.D. Power and Associates award for "Highest in Customer Satisfaction with Pontoon Boats.” Ranking was determined based on responses from consumers who purchased a Harris FloteBote during model year 2005 and 2006. [9] National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) has awarded Harris FloteBote with eleven Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) Awards since it began participating in the program. [10] This indicates positive customer satisfaction surveys of greater than 90% in a given year. [11] The Harris FloteBote 2013 Crowne 250 was a recipient of the NMMA (National Marine Manufacturers Association) Innovation Award for Pontoon and Deck boats at the 2013 Miami International Boat Show [12]
Fort Wayne is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Indiana, United States. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is 18 miles (29 km) west of the Ohio border and 50 miles (80 km) south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 as of the 2020 census, making it the second-most populous city in Indiana after Indianapolis, and the 83rd-most populous city in the United States. It is the principal city of the Fort Wayne metropolitan area, consisting of Allen and Whitley counties which had an estimated population of 423,038 as of 2021. Fort Wayne is the cultural and economic center of northeastern Indiana. In addition to the two core counties, the combined statistical area (CSA) includes Adams, DeKalb, Huntington, Noble, Steuben, and Wells counties, with an estimated population of 649,105 in 2021.
Forest River Inc. is an American manufacturer of recreational vehicles, cargo trailers, utility trailers, pontoon boats, and buses.
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Cummins UK is a diesel engine manufacturer and the Cummins US distributor for the UK and Ireland. Cummins Inc. is a corporation of complementary business units that design, manufacture, distribute and service engines and related technologies, including fuel systems, controls, air handling, filtration, emission solutions and electrical power generation systems. Headquartered in Columbus, Indiana, (US) Cummins serves customers in approximately 190 countries and territories through a network of more than 500 company-owned and independent distributor locations and approximately 5,200 dealer locations.
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Malibu Boats is an American manufacturer of recreational boats, founded in Merced, California in 1982, and currently headquartered in Loudon, Tennessee with additional production facilities in New South Wales, Australia. Malibu is "the world's largest manufacturer of watersports towboats", used both recreationally and in water skiing and wakeboarding events.
Suzuki Marine is an international company that designs and manufactures outboard motors. A subsidiary of the Japanese multinational motor corporation Suzuki, Suzuki Marine has locations in America, Asia, Europe, Africa and Oceania.
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